Ambitious businesses leaders within the county’s fast-growing film and TV industry now have the chance to learn how to create new commercial opportunities for their small business with Hertfordshire LEP’s Film & TV Production: Supply Chain Innovation Programme.
The 10-week programme launches in September 2023 and is delivered by executive education experts Estu and the world’s leading university for art and design, the Royal College of Art (RCA). It offers Masters-level workshops and tutorials, in collaboration with industry influencers and major studios including Warner Bros., BBC StudioWorks, Creative UK, Elstree Studios, Elstree Screen Arts, The Grove, ITN, Sky Studios, and Sunset Studios.
The course is modelled on the LEP’s highly successful Service Innovation Programme piloted in 2022, which has already achieved a rate of nearly 1.5 jobs created per participant business and is expected to leverage over £1m of private investment in projects in Hertfordshire.
David Conway, Chair of the LEP’s Film & TV Industry Panel, said: “The sector is going through an exciting period of expansion in Hertfordshire, bringing with it major growth opportunities for SMEs in the supply chain. We’re working to ensure our local businesses benefit, and through our Innovation Programme, we can equip business leaders with the knowledge and confidence they need to seek out and seize opportunities proactively.”
Dr. Nick de Leon, Executive Education and Knowledge Exchange Lead at RCA, said: “We’re helping organisations transform their capacity for innovation through the use of proven tools and techniques from our Masters courses. The programme gives leaders a chance to collaborate with peers in a supportive environment brimming with creativity, and the breakthroughs are often remarkable.”
Simon Littlewood, CEO of Estu, said: “We’re delighted to deliver another transformative innovation programme, creating commercial opportunities for Hertfordshire businesses. At Estu, we link individuals’ learning journeys directly to organisational impact and deliver exceptional programmes that produce motivated teams and positive results.”
At a recent taster session held at the University of Hertfordshire, the programme was endorsed by Sir Peter Bazalgette - Pro-Chancellor of the RCA, Co-Chair of the Creative Industries Council and Board Member of the Department for Education - who described the county’s skills planning and collaboration between local authorities, education providers and industry as demonstrating ‘best practice for the screen industries’.
The programme supports the LEP’s Film and TV Sector Action Plan which aims to boost growth opportunities, skills and employment within the industry. It was commissioned by the LEP’s Industry Panel as a response to demand from industry for high quality supply chain support.
Hertfordshire businesses are invited to learn more and apply now.
The sector is going through an exciting period of expansion in Hertfordshire, bringing with it major growth opportunities for SMEs in the supply chain. Through our Innovation Programme, we can equip business leaders with the knowledge and confidence they need to seek out and seize opportunities proactively.
Highlights from our taster session:
The sector is going through an exciting period of expansion in Hertfordshire, bringing with it major growth opportunities for SMEs in the supply chain. Through our Innovation Programme, we can equip business leaders with the knowledge and confidence they need to seek out and seize opportunities proactively.